There is a continual need to provide novel ice confections, for example having an appearance and texture which is unlike conventional ice confections. In particular it is desirable to provide ice confections that mimic non-frozen (ambient) confections. One popular type of product comprises a confection, such as chocolate or toffee, which is aerated to form a foam-like or honeycomb structure. The honeycomb structure has large, visible gas bubbles with a range of different sizes which provides the product with a distinctive appearance and texture (i.e. crunchier and/or crumblier than the unaerated confection) when it is bitten into. This combination of appearance and texture provides substantial consumer appeal.
EP 1051077 discloses water ice products that are aerated with a water-soluble aerating gas and as a result have a different structure from those obtained by aerating with air. This is said to happen because as ice is formed, dissolved gas is forced out of solution. This results in an increase in internal pressure which can break the walls between neighbouring gas bubbles and thereby form voids or channels, which are typically non-spherical. EP 1158862 discloses water ice confections aerated with a water-soluble gas and containing an antifreeze protein. The confections have a brittle, crunchy texture, but do not reproduce the honeycomb appearance of ambient products. Thus there remains a need for products which have both the desirable appearance and texture of ambient honeycomb confections.